A brief silence passed between the two.

Charlotte married Ashel about a decade and a half ago. At that time, Charlotte was the daughter of a tyrant, and Ashel was one of the rebels supporting Evan.

And Charlotte cast a spell on Ashel. More precisely, a curse.

Since then, Duke Sisana had always disliked Charlotte.

She wasn’t resentful about it. How could she be? Until then, Charlotte also understood the duke.

Even if Ashel was indignant, saying she wasn’t <treated like a person>, she knew better than anyone that she deserved such treatment.

But this man wasn’t someone who could endure such things.

How much did Ashel’s standing deteriorate when he married her? How many intentional <wrongs> did he commit just to protect her?

‘But Duke Sisana didn’t expose anything.’

Just as it wasn’t known that Ashel had threatened Duke Sisana to get permission for their marriage.

The countless conflicts over the years now appear to have never existed, at least on the surface.

There was only one reason for that.

Because Duke Sisana didn’t reveal anything.

‘Duke Sisana valued Astariol and supported Evan.’

The Duke of Chelsiers was the most powerful ally in the rebellion and a close friend of Evan.

Above all… as long as no one touched Charlotte, he was trustworthy.

So how could Duke Sisana, who cherished Astariol and supported the rebellion, expose Ashel’s <wrongs>?

Even though he was excluded from the rebellion, Duke Sisana could roughly guess what Ashel did for her, so Charlotte naturally shrank in front of her.

She could endure being ignored by Duke Sisana.

But Duke Sisana didn’t stop only at despising her; she tried to eliminate her entirely.

In doing so, she crossed the line.

A woman who had always believed in upholding the rules and order as an Astariol.

‘… it must mean Ashel’s condition was severe enough for her to overlook such things.’

Ashel acted as if he could destroy the whole world just for Charlotte.

Both then and now.

And Duke Sisana had always seen Ashel, who seemed nothing like that.

‘What if I hadn’t been this man’s Tara from the beginning?’

Then Ashel wouldn’t have been interested in her.

Like his father, he would have married a suitable woman from a good family, had children who were Astariol, and lived according to the rules.

Ashel’s life without her intrusion would probably have been similar to Duke Sisana’s life trajectory.

Charlotte inadvertently looked at Ashel.

His complicated emotions were written all over his face, shaking occasionally like the reflection of the moon in a lake.

But as soon as Ashel noticed her gaze, his expression softened into a gentle smile.

His deep affection and kindness skillfully covered the cracks.

Ashel whispered calmly.

“… I understand. I get it. You go, Charlotte.”

But Charlotte still had more to say to him.

“Since you understand, let me ask one more thing.”

“Yes?”

The woman’s voice dropped suddenly.

“Answer truthfully. You were almost remarried, weren’t you?”

Ashel asked back as if he had never heard such a word in his life.

“… remarried?”

“There’s no way Duke Sisana didn’t arrange a match for you while I was gone. She remarried three times herself to produce an Astariol.”

Charlotte’s voice was filled with conviction.

“She wouldn’t have just left you to wander around looking for me at your age.”

Ten years.

Enough time to forget about a runaway woman and remarry.

The man’s voice came back mixed with a disbelieving laugh.

“Charlotte, do I seem like that kind of person to you?”

“Of course, you’d rather write my name in your will and die than remarry. I believed that, so I followed you with the children.”

Charlotte answered firmly. Her words were terrifyingly solid even to herself.

Instead, the man’s voice softened a bit.

“If you knew, then why?”

“I kept thinking about it, but no matter how much I thought, it didn’t make sense.”

“What doesn’t?”

“Fermata.”

The man’s protest, which was so outrageous it was almost unpleasant, abruptly stopped.

“Sure, you knew I was your Tara. You must have sworn to Fermata to prove it. Even though it was a crazy thing to do, okay. I understand why you did it.”

“…”

“But even back then, would others have just let you do something so crazy? Moreover, no matter how much of an Astariol you are, would the Great Temple really give you Fermata?”

The Great Temple took away the Fermata because of its danger.

To prevent the entity that burned down a country from ever receiving human vows again.

Besides, he was an Astariol.

The Duke of Chelsiers who ruled the eastern part of Rom.

If the oath failed… it would have been nothing short of a catastrophe.

There were no way others would not have tried to stop him.

So, when Ashel first said he swore to Fermata and became its master, Charlotte thought it was a lie using <possession>.

After confirming it was true, she always wondered.

How did Ashel swear to Fermata?

And how did he ignore Duke Sisana’s pressure and search for her for ten years?

Charlotte took a deep breath.

Huu…

The breath she took in deeply flowed out like a sharp blade with her keen reasoning and sharp words.

“You were dragged to the Great Temple to annul our marriage certificate to remarry, weren’t you?”

“…”

“Ashel… what did you do there?”

The man said nothing.

But Charlotte found her answer in that silence.

“You crazy man.”

She muttered, feeling a sudden chill, but Ashel was as calm as ever.

“There were crazier people than me.”

A low, steady, unwavering voice.

A voice so calm it sank deep into her heart.

“… there’s no one crazier than you.”

“No. Even after proving that you were my Tara, Duke Sisana still asked me to fulfill my duty as an Astariol.”

“What?”

The man didn’t bother to repeat himself. But Charlotte couldn’t ask again.

It was still the season when the heat hadn’t fully subsided, but she suddenly felt as if she had been plunged into icy water.

The duty of an Astariol was simple.

To fight when the great barrier opened, and demons invaded.

… and to have children who could fight in the next invasion.

Astariol must continue.

“If not for Evan and the prophecy, who knows what she would have done.”

“… what do you mean?”

“The duke’s daughter, who hadn’t spoken a word for years since birth, repeated her first words.”

The man whispered calmly and intensely.

“A silver-haired, pale-skinned, purple-eyed girl who looked just like me walked towards her. Without ever seeing me.”

“…”

… Claire.

Charlotte instinctively realized it. The duke’s daughter had foreseen Claire’s existence.

The man didn’t stop there and quietly asked.

“What do you think she did next?”

“… I don’t know. All I think is that the Astariols are all crazy. Except for my daughter.”

The man chuckled briefly.

“She went to Evan.”

“…”

“She told Evan that the child would be yours and asked to reinstate you as imperial family for proper inheritance.”

“You didn’t know Claire existed.”

“I told you once, didn’t I? I said <if we had children>. I guessed a child would be born.”

– I was determined to find you, and if we had children, I needed a way to ensure their inheritance.

She suddenly recalled the man’s words from the past.

So, he wasn’t ensuring inheritance for children that might be born… he knew they would be.

Skillfully distorting the truth, yet not lying.

Ashel’s voice dropped slowly and smoothly. His whisper seeped into Charlotte’s silence, circling craftily.

“Whether Claire was just born, nine years old, or not yet born, it doesn’t matter. Claire and Eciel are our children.”

“…”

“If only you had been there, I would have waited, but knowing we would have children, how could I not?”

It was strange, novel, and eerie.

Charlotte gritted her teeth and clearly pronounced each syllable.

“Get it straight. You didn’t wait for me. You… you hunted me.”

“Oh my. I never said I waited for you to come back, Charlotte. Waiting for someone who wouldn’t return on their own is irrational.”

“… then?”

“I was waiting for this day. The day you, me, and our children would be together.”

Pure joy reverberated like a drum in his low tone, leaving a long echo.

His voice, as if regretful, continued.

“Of course, I did some foolish things because I was a bit mad without you.”

“… what?”

“I didn’t realize the black-haired and platinum-haired children who looked like twins were ours. The prophecy only mentioned a silver-haired child.”

Charlotte suddenly wanted to ask.

Did he distrust her enough to think they were someone else’s children at first?

What was he going to do with the children when he thought they weren’t his…?

Such questions.

But compared to the certainty Ashel gave her, what she gave him was just a light, painful thorn.

So, in the end, Charlotte said nothing.

Especially since Ashel, perhaps afraid of losing that thorn, waited with it deeply lodged in his heart.